


fire and ice fight within me

by ohmytheon



Series: daemons and alchemy [19]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Alternate Universe - His Dark Materials Fusion, Daemons, Gen, Rivalry, Roy and Olivier do not get along, Same-Sex Daemons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 18:45:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8221120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmytheon/pseuds/ohmytheon
Summary: With Eastern forces at Briggs for joint training exercises, Roy and his daemon Shula get to work alongside General Olivier Armstrong and her atypical daemon. Unfortunately, the only one having fun is Riza's daemon.





	

**Author's Note:**

> And here’s the first showing of Olivier’s daemon! Hers is a little different than the others, as you’ll soon find out. I’m still getting the hang out writing Olivier, I think, but it’s coming slowly. I like writing her and Roy getting into it. I’m also probably going to write a second part to this, but focus on Olivier and Riza. I’ve been meaning to do that since February, to be honest.

“It’s official,” Shula decided. “I hate snow more than rain or heat waves.”

To be honest, Roy couldn’t agree with her more. As he stared out the window, all he could see was an ocean of white. He fingered the thin material of his ignition gloves, wondering how this much snow would affect his flame alchemy. Water could render him useless in worst case scenarios, but too much water and it worked to his advantage. Snow was different though and it made him leery. Would he struggle in a snow storm or would it not affect him because it was near frozen? He should’ve tested this out a lot sooner, perhaps right after he’d joined the State Alchemist Program years ago, but he refused to do it with an audience.

Unfortunately for him, ever since he and his team along with many other Eastern soldiers had come to Briggs, Roy had not been given a moment alone except to sleep and shower, making him feel more like a captive than a guest. He had a suspicious feeling that General Armstrong wanted him to feel that way too. Shula did not like it one bit. She liked her space and being stuck in the confined space of the Briggs wall had left her feeling restless and irritable.

Roy was absolutely comfortable and at ease with Shula, but nobody else wanted to be around a moody as hell lion.

The only ones who seemed capable of being near Shula were of course Riza and Wojciech. The day Wojciech was scared of Shula was the day Roy quit the military to join the circus. Whenever Shula started giving off signs that she was going to step out of line or snap at another soldier’s daemon, Wojciech would step up and use his shoulder to bump against her to knock some sense into her. Shula didn’t like it, but she didn’t complain either, biting her tongue and staying silent.

However, when the order to head up to the North had come in for a joint training exercise, Roy couldn’t avoid it. Each team sent had to apply to join the operation and he had done so quickly, knowing the involvement was crucial to his ability to climb the ladder. He had wanted to come up here because it was necessary for his goals, not because he thought it’d be fun. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He knew that coming to Briggs would be brutal and not just because of the icy weather.

General Olivier Armstrong ran this place and she ran it with an ironclad fist and one of the sharpest swords he’d ever seen. She definitely wasn’t a bucket of fun and seemed to see it as a personal offense that Roy and his team had been one of the chosen teams for this week-long training exercise. As probably his closest rival, whenever she was given the chance to take him down a peg, she did so gladly. He did a good job at not letting her get to him and Shula was always on her best behavior when the woman and her daemon were around, but he worried that there might be a breaking point.

After all, there was little he could say or do to defend himself, considering that he was only a Colonel and she was a General, and he had a feeling that underneath Shula’s cool and distant behavior around the General was lava waiting to spew forth from a volcano of agitation.

“Oh, Colonel Mustang, I didn’t think you ever got up this early,” General Armstrong said as she walked towards him. It wasn’t a greeting so much as a slap to the face.

Roy smiled in return, though it was tenser than he would’ve liked. The week was coming to an end and he and his team would be returning to Eastern soon, but he had one more day of suffering through this whole farce. His team had done well in the training exercises, so he had a few reasons to brag, but he was playing the humble role here. If Armstrong had been in Eastern, well, it would’ve been a different story. You have to play a different role on different courts and Briggs was admittedly not his. When he was Fuhrer, all of it would be his. Until then, he had to suffer Armstrong and her whims.

“Shula wanted to see the sunrise, uneventful as it is up here,” Roy responded coolly. Yes, he was calm, he was collected, he was totally chill. He could practically hear Shula screaming in his mind as she looked up at him sweetly.

General Armstrong’s daemon prowled around them, but Shula ignored her. Although her daemon was another big cat daemon, she was still half the size of Shula. Snow leopards didn’t get nearly as big as lions, something which Roy knew bothered the General. A curious thing though, Armstrong’s daemon, being that she was female. Nearly every daemon was the opposite sex of their human, but unless the daemons on his team were mistaken, Armstrong’s daemon was female as well. Falman’s daemon Ayn had been most adamant. When Shula had scoffed over the idea, the little tabby cat had hissed and refused to speak with Shula for the rest of their time here.

 _Hell hath no fury like a cat daemon scorned._ Roy knew that firsthand with his own daemon and now Armstrong’s as well.

Shula straightened up, looking proud as could be, despite hunkering behind him moments ago when she was complaining about the snow. “My coat looks good today, doesn’t it, Malika? Absolutely shining. Perhaps this cold atmosphere has done me some good.”

“Vanity isn’t a sign of good leadership,” the snow leopard said, her voice delicate and light. It was completely opposite of General Armstrong, who was sharp and the hardest woman Roy had ever met. He hadn’t known the woman’s daemon before and the leopard had refused to tell even Shula her name, but she had told Wojciech, who had consented to telling Shula if not Roy. That leopard enjoyed keeping secrets as much as her human.

“Neither is a matted coat,” Shula pointed out.

Malika bristled and returned to her human’s side. To be honest, Roy had expected some huge daemons upon coming to Briggs, but he had found it to be the opposite. Most of the Briggs soldiers had small daemons. Upon discussing it with Falman, he had realized something important. It was so cold up here that most daemons wouldn’t be able to handle it, but small ones were able to curl up and hide inside of their humans’ coats and furs to keep warm and safe.

Armstrong was different. Her daemon, like a few others, was bred for the cold. Malika fit in with the snow and the tundra. Built for this place, she flourished, just as her human did, cold in spirit and mind. Despite his rivalry with her, Roy couldn’t imagine anyone better suited to run Briggs than Armstrong. He certainly wouldn’t have liked it. Shula would’ve dragged him out of Northern HQ the second she was finished with this place.

Even though she looked loathed to say anything, Armstrong jerked away from Roy and watched his team interact with one another. “You have a good team.”

Roy smiled. “They’re good at their jobs.” It wasn’t a compliment towards him, not directly, but it was something. She couldn’t deny that his team was a good one. They worked well together. He had done a lot of studying to gather these men and one brilliant woman together. People might think them ragtag, but at the end of the day, they got the job done and they did it well. He was proud of them. After this past week, even Armstrong could not deny that.

And then Malika titled her head and peered at Roy. “I like that wolf. He’s suited for the North. I wonder how well he’d fair at Briggs.”

Even though Roy was able to school himself into not reacting, Shula didn’t catch herself as quickly. She flinched at the thought of Wojciech leaving their team to join Armstrong’s and flicked a glare at the snow leopard before looking away. There was no way in hell that Riza would leave Roy’s team and Wojciech was a part of Roy and Shula as much as breathing was. Armstrong would never be able to have the relationship he had with them. As good of a soldier as she was, Riza would not be happy if she were to be at Briggs.

But then Wojciech had done so well in the training exercises up here. Out of everyone else’s daemons from Eastern, he alone had flourished. Wolves did well in this environment, especially his kind, and he had enjoyed himself. The only other daemon to come close had been Havoc’s German Shepherd daemon Hiroko, who had tumbled and leaped about in the snow playfully with Wojciech. Riza’s wolf had been more graceful and at ease, never shivering or tired like the others. Roy watched out the window as Wojciech loped ahead of everyone with ease and then ran back to Riza’s side when she called him to follow her back inside.

He did well here. Riza did well here. Everyone respected and liked her, even General Armstrong. Panic seized Roy for a second. Was he holding her back? Would they be able to accomplish more here at Briggs under General Armstrong?

 _Idiot,_ Shula harrumphed, _Riza can’t accomplish what she wants unless she’s working with you._

“Wojciech does seem quite fond of the snow,” Roy said lightly as his eyes found the wolf daemon in question. Riza was down the hallway now standing with Havoc and another sharpshooter Briggs soldier. She and Havoc were chatting casually with the woman while Hiroko sniffed her little bird daemon. Wojciech sat on his haunches at Riza’s side, looking out the window again wistfully. Occassionally a wolf howl could be heard over the wind and he was curious. Larger than wolves in the wild, Roy could tell that the wolf daemon was almost eager to see how he stacked up against them.

Briggs definitely had brought out a sense of wildness in Wojciech. It was intriguing.

Armstrong arched an eyebrow, probably at Roy’s familiarity with Riza’s daemon. In normal circumstances, Shula would’ve responded to Malika, as it was usual for daemons to talk about one another. With humans, it was a little different. There were certain, unspoken rules. People typically didn’t talk about other people’s daemons - not unless they were really close with the person.

“I’m surprised that someone as capable as Hawkeye would agree to join your team,” Armstrong noted.

Roy smiled. The General was fishing for information, likely because of his comment about Wojciech. “She’s an exceptional soldier with her own ambitions.”

“I heard a rumor that she keeps you on a tight leash,” Armstrong added, her snow leopard practically sneering. Ah, and she was trying to provoke either him or Shula into snapping. If anyone was capable of doing such a thing, it would be Olivier Armstrong. “I was concerned that you might need help getting around here while your babysitter was busy in the training exercises.”

Shula’s tail flicked irritably side-to-side, but she kept her mouth wisely shut. However, she swung around behind him and then stepped in front of him. Malika did the same thing, looking like she was ready to pounce on Shula and attack. It would’ve been no contest, however. As fierce and deadly as the woman’s daemon was, Shula easily outweighed her. She might be able to get a bite or two in, but if Shula connected with one hit or bit down, the leopard would bleed dust.

 _Behind,_ Roy warned her. Shula snorted and did as she was told, stepping behind him again, but her and the other big cat had their eyes locked.

“Not used to taking orders from a woman, are you?” Malika asked.

“A good soldier can take orders from anyone above them,” Shula pointed out. “It doesn’t matter what they are as long as they’re competent.”

Which wasn’t always the case. Roy had seen a lot of idiots running the show, especially in Ishval, and had been forced to bow down to them. He hadn’t liked it, but there had been too many times when his hand had been forced and he’d had to follow the foolish orders. Some of them ended up being pointless; others ended in death. Incompetence could kill as quickly as brutality. General Armstrong was not incompetent, but she was most definitely brutal. He could see that in that gleam of her daemon’s eyes and the sharp gaze of her blue eye.

“This is going to be a grueling day,” Armstrong said, almost happily. “I hope you’re ready.”

“My team and I can handle whatever is thrown at us,” Roy replied confidently.

“Lions aren’t made for the snow,” Malika said.

Shula laughed. “Luckily we tend to run a little hot-blooded.” She brushed against him faintly, but fire licked at his soul and the cold seeped away from him. This place was an icy fortress, but the quickest way to get rid of ice was to melt it. He was pretty good at that. Nothing was going to stand in his way, not General Armstrong, not today’s exercises, and not the men and women above him. Fire always won out in the end, just as he would. You could escape the cold, but you could never escape the heat. Roy had learned that lesson years ago

**Author's Note:**

> riza hawkeye - northwestern wolf/northern timber wolf - wojciech (pronounced “VOI-chekh”): means “soldier” + “solace, comfort, joy”  
> roy mustang - african lion - shula: means “flame” in arabic  
> olivier armstrong - snow leopard - malika: means “queen”, feminine form of ‘malik’ which means “king”  
> vato falman - mackeral tabby cat - ayn: based off ayn rand, a russian-american writer and philosopher  
> jean havoc - german shepherd dog - hiroko: means “tolerant, generous,” “abundant,” and or “prosperous” + “child” in japanese


End file.
